Clouds
by Nymphean
Summary: Harry's just graduated, Ginny's in her second year. Ron and Hermione are living together. Sirius needs to make some decisions about the future, and Lupin finds someone to love... but will it last? Elements of SLASH. A companion fic to Sky Blue.
1. Coming Out

A/N: This is a sequel to my fic 'Sky Blue'

A/N: This is a sequel to my fic 'Sky Blue'. It is definitely necessary to read SB before you read this, and it is also a good idea to read my ficlette "What It Takes: A Prequel". This fic takes place in Ginny's final year at Hogwarts, which means Harry, Ron and Herm have just graduated, Laelyn's twenty two/three, Bill twenty-seven/eight, Gawaine is one and a half, and Dumbledore is still old. Warning: this fic contains SLASH. If you can't appreciate the nature of love in one of it's purest forms, then I'd suggest you don't read this. Thanks to everyone who reviewed SB, as well as Meg Albatou, who has been my sounding board throughout the writing of this fic so far. Enjoy! –Nymphean

Disclaimer: I do not own the characters (with the exception of Laelyn, who is a character of my creation), they belong to the wonderful JK Rowling, who, I'm sure, would be horrified if she knew what I was doing with them=) I would also like to point out that I did not write "Both Sides Now". It was written by Joni Mitchell, who is the definition of musical genius. Ta, -N

~**Clouds**~

_"I've looked at clouds from both sides now_ From up and down and still somehow

_It's cloud's illusions I recall_

_I really don't know clouds at all…"_

_-Joni Mitchell, 'Both Sides Now'_

~August 1st ~

** **

"Well. That's interesting." 

Ginny Weasley swirled the ice in her empty glass and looked across the table at her brother. Beside her, Harry was wide-eyed and silent. Charlie Weasley looked down at the checkered tablecloth and coughed.

"Interesting. Well, I guess that's better than nothing…"

Sirius Black, who was sitting beside Charlie, said nothing, but he wore a look on his face that clearly screamed 'Oh shit'. He looked at his Godson expectantly. 

"Well?" He asked finally. Harry shook his head disbelievingly.

"Since when?" He asked. His demeanor was calm and quiet. Sirius wasn't fooled.

"A bit more than two years ago, I guess. Charlie was my contact in Romania. It just sort of… happened." Underneath the table, Charlie squeezed Sirius' hand. _You're doing fine._

Ginny looked uneasily from her boyfriend to her brother to Sirius. The air in the room was so thick you could cut it with a knife. She shrugged her shoulders.

"I can't really say I'm all that surprised," She said, nonchalant. Charlie narrowed his eyes.

"What do you mean?"

"Oh, I don't know…" the ice made a tinkling sound against the glass. "I'm just saying it's not really that much of a shock. Pass the lemonade."

Charlie and Sirius looked at each other, confused. 

"Laelyn?" Sirius said questioningly. Charlie nodded

"Laelyn."

Ginny took a sip of lemonade and peered at the two men over the rim of her glass. "Of course," She said, rolling her eyes. "Who else?"

Harry slammed his glass down; making the other three jump in their seats. "What the hell is this, and why the HELL didn't I know about it?" He yelled, his green eyes smoldering behind his glasses. Ginny patted his arm. 

"Harry, it's OK. You know about it NOW, don't you?"

Harry closed his eyes and tried to regain composure. After a few seconds, he looked up at Sirius. "So you, and you…" he turned his gaze to Charlie, "Are a… a couple?" Sirius nodded. Harry ran a hand through his already disheveled hair. "Wow." 

Charlie looked at Sirius uncertainly. He knew his partner wanted nothing more than to gain the approval of his godson. At this point, things were looking rather uncertain as far as receiving Harry's blessing was concerned. 

"Well." Said Harry after what seemed like an eternity to Charlie and Sirius. "I suppose I'll get used to the idea. You could have told me sooner, though. It would have been nice to have a while to digest this before I leave. But I guess I'll deal with it."

Sirius looked shocked at Harry's reaction. "You mean you're fine with this?" He asked, somewhat incredulously. Harry shrugged.

"Hasn't exactly sunken in yet, but so far, yeah."

Sirius breathed a sigh of relief and slumped back against his chair. "Thank the gods," he said, smiling slightly. Charlie put his arm around him, grinning a little goofily. 

"He's been agonizing about this for two years, you know," Charlie said to Harry. "He was certain you would freak out." Harry laughed.

"I don't really 'freak out' all that much, in case you haven't noticed," He said to his godfather. Sirius shrugged.

"Well, you don't hear this kind of news every day either." The doorbell sounded, and Harry got up from his seat. 

"I'll get it," he muttered, sprinting towards the front hall of the house he'd shared with his godfather for the past year. After Sirius' pardon, Harry had moved in almost immediately, bidding a quick and less than reluctant farewell to the Dursleys, his only living relatives. That summer had been the best one yet. For the first time in his life, Harry felt like he had family. 

He smiled at these happy thoughts as he opened the door. "Hey!" He said, pleasantly surprised. On the doorstep stood one short branch of the Weasley family tree: Bill Weasley and his wife Laelyn. Harry shook hands with Bill and gave Laelyn a hearty embrace. "Come on in, you guys. We're all in the kitchen."

"All?" said Bill with a note of surprise in his voice. "Who else is here?"

"Ginny and Charlie," Laelyn replied. Harry nodded.

"Good guess. Hey, where's Gawaine?" Harry asked, referring to the couple's young son.

"We left him at the Burrow with Fred and George," Laelyn said. Harry furrowed his brow.

"You sure that was wise?"

Bill laughed. "Not really, but Mum's there to keep an eye out, so it should be all right."

The three entered the kitchen to be greeted enthusiastically by its occupants. 

"You guys are just in time," Ginny remarked casually. "Sirius and Charlie were just having a little… discussion with us."

"Really?" asked a rather incredulous-looking Laelyn, who was standing behind Sirius and her brother-in-law. "And? What's the word?"

Charlie shrugged, grinning. "The word is good," he replied, causing Laelyn to throw her arms around first him and then Sirius, delivering bone-crushing hugs. 

"Great! That's just great!" Sirius kissed her on the check. "Blessed be, Sirius," she said. He smiled at her.

"How are things with you?"

"Good. Very good, actually. That's kind of why we're here."

Sirius cocked his head. "Oh?"

"Well, we've sort of got an announcement to make." Bill came up behind her and put his hands on her shoulders. "Now, Bill?" She asked him.

"Why not?"

Laelyn shrugged. "All right. We have some news that we wanted to tell you guys." She looked over her shoulder at Bill, as if telling him to take the floor.

"We're moving back to England, this time for good."

There were exclamations like "wow" and "that's great". Ginny eyed Laelyn suspiciously.

"There's more, isn't there?" she asked. The other woman nodded slowly.

"Yeah… the reason we're moving back is… I'm pregnant again."

"What?" cried Harry. "I mean, that's really great, but…" He broke off.

"Didn't Madame Pomfrey say after Gawaine's birth that you wouldn't be able to have children again?" asked Ginny, finishing Harry's thought.

Bill shrugged. "I guess she was wrong, because it looks like we're going to have another baby."

"Congratulations," Charlie said, patting Laelyn's flat stomach. "How far along?"

"Three months," Laelyn said, glowing with pride.

"Well, it looks as though you've beat the odds then, haven't you?" Sirius smiled at the tiny woman and her husband. Bill nodded.

"We certainly have."


	2. May is Full of Surprises

A/N: Okay, so it appears that I am the world's biggest idiot

**A/N: **Okay, so it appears that I am the world's biggest idiot. I don't know how I managed it, but I seem to have botched my first attempt to post this chapter. Well, let's hope my second try is more sucessful than my first. In this chapter: Laelyn begins to ditch the Mary Sue image ;) I couldn't help myself… it's the bad girl in me coming out through my characters (Muah ha ha!). Well, have fun and happy reading! Please review… make my world a happier place to live in! 

** **

**Chapter 2**

** **

_"She can kill with a smile; she can wound with her eyes_

_She will ruin your faith with her casual lies_

_And she only reveals what she wants you to see,_

_Yeah, she hides like a child, but she's always a woman to me…"_

__

**Three months earlier… **

** **

Sirius Black sat down beside Laelyn, holding out a beer stein. "Here. Drown your sorrows." Laelyn laughed quietly and took the beer from him, drinking a large quantity before replying.

"Thanks Sirius."

"So what's a girl like you doing sitting here on a log all alone?"

Laelyn made a face and poked at the bonfire in front of her with a stick. "Well, Bill's still in New York opening the new factory, and I dropped Gawaine off at Molly and Arthur's for the night. Add to that the fact that all of my friends are students, and you've got your answer."

"Cheer up," Sirius said, putting an arm around her. "It's not all bad, you know."

She shrugged. "I know. I should be making merry and dancing around the bonfire. But I miss him, Sirius. He's been across the pond for two weeks now with my father, opening that stupid factory, and I hate it. And now it's Beltane and I'm all alone and I can't even CALL my husband because I don't have a bloody phone!" She sighed. "Stupid Thorne Incorporated." She took another swig of her beer.

"Isn't he coming back soon?"

"He's leaving New York in three days. But Beltane waits for no one," She laughed bitterly. 

For a while, both of them were silent, staring at the dancing flames. Slowly, Sirius raised his gaze above the fire, to where most of the people were mingling. Strands of conversation and laughter floated their way. His eyes wandered through the crowd, coming to rest on one person in particular. There, leaning against a tree and pretending to be interested in the conversation ensuing in front of him, was Remus Lupin. Sirius sighed. Remus looked a little bit depressed, a little bit uneasy, and more than a little bit bored, and Sirius couldn't help but feel a shred of responsibility. It was then that the idea struck.

"Laelyn, why don't you come with me for a second? There's someone I think you should meet."

The nymph narrowed her eyes. "I hope you're not trying to get me in trouble…"

Sirius laughed. "Nothing like that… He's not really, um, your type, but I think you'll be good company for each other."

Laelyn shrugged. "Why not. I could use some intellectual stimulation." She took another large swallow of her beer and shot Sirius a quick glance. "No offense… I didn't mean that the way it sounded."

They got up and walked towards Lupin together. He looked towards them as they approached.

"Sirius. Hi." Lupin managed to throw a smile onto his face. 

"Hello Remus," Sirius said warmly. "Enjoying yourself?"

"I suppose."

Laelyn shook her head forcefully. "Oh no you don't," she said, staring him down. "Come on now, tell the truth… The atmosphere is nice and the food is excellent, but on the whole you're finding this entire experience frighteningly dull."

This time Lupin's smile was genuine. "I see I can't put anything past you," He said, holding out his hand. "Remus Lupin. You are?"

"Laelyn Thorne-Weasley," she replied, shaking his hand warmly. "If Sirius had any manners at all, he would have introduced us himself." Sirius looked thunderstruck.

"I was just about to."

"Yeah, bullshit."

By now Lupin was actually laughing. Sirius grabbed Laelyn's arm

"Excuse us," he said, pulling her aside. "What's gotten into you?" He hissed. 

"Oh, lighten up, Sirius!"

He shook his head. "You're not acting like yourself."

"I'm not feeling like myself," she replied. "And a bloody good thing too, because right now I'm about fed up with feeling like myself." 

"You were showing off. Using your power as a party trick. I've never seen you do that before."

"You like it," she replied. He shot her a warning look, and she rolled her eyes. "Okay, okay, I'll tone it down. Bye now." 

"Laelyn-" Sirius called, but she had already flitted back through the crowd and to Lupin again. Sirius sighed and shook his head. 

"She's a grown woman." Sirius jumped. Charlie had snuck up behind him and wrapped his arms around his waist. "Stop playing father."

"I wasn't," Sirius said irritably. Charlie shook his head and grinned knowingly. "I WASN'T"

"Okay Si. Whatever you say."

*****

"… Luckily James got there at the last minute, but Severus had already found out who I was, and refused to forget about it. He's hated me ever since." Lupin was trying to be serious, but Laelyn could tell that he was about to laugh.

"So, you almost killed Snape?" she asked incredulously. He nodded. "You're my hero." That broke the dam, and they both began to giggle unstoppably. Lupin shook his head. 

"You know you shouldn't say that," he said, trying to force the laughter down. Laelyn nodded. 

"Yeah, I know, but he's just so… so… SCARY. My god, the first time I met him I thought he was going to knife me or something."

"Ah, he's just bitter, he's not really a bad guy. But enough about Severus Snape. I'm sure there are many more pleasant things we could be talking about." He poked the glowing remnants of the bonfire with a twig. Laelyn watched him, spell-bound. She wondered, not for the first time that night, what it was about Lupin that made it so hard to look away. 

"It's getting cold," she said, forcing herself to look at the coals glowing in the bonfire pit. Lupin nodded. 

"I'd offer you my jacket, but I'm not wearing one."

"We could go inside," she suggested, rubbing her frail arms. Lupin regarded her with a measure of interest. 

"No wonder you're freezing, there's hardly any meat on your bones."

She shrugged. "I know. I just haven't had an appetite since my son was born. I'm so skinny now it's getting unattractive."

Lupin examined her, which made her just a tiny bit uncomfortable. "No," he said after a few seconds. "It's not unattractive at all." Laelyn shivered, but not from the cold. Lupin got up and took her hand, pulling her with him. "Let's get you some place warmer." 

The house was empty. Laelyn looked at the clock on the mantle and noticed that it was one am already. _Sirius and Charlie are probably in bed, _She thought. Lupin stood in front of the fireplace. After a few minutes of silence, he said what Laelyn had known he was going to say the whole time.

"Would you like to see where I live?"

*****

Laelyn stepped out of the fireplace and examined her surroundings. Lupin's house was a cozy little cottage surrounded by woods on all sides. She looked out the window at the trees and ferns and flowers and had one thought: _This is my home._

__Laelyn shook her head frantically as if to drive the thought away. _That's ridiculous. This is LUPIN'S home, you stupid nymph! You're just feeling the pull of the forest. Don't be an idiot, Laelyn. _Lupin was watching her curiously. "What?" she asked uneasily. "Is something wrong?"

"No, not at all, it's just…" He paused, thinking. "There's something different about you, isn't there?" 

"Funny…" She stepped around the sofa to where he was standing. "I was just about to say the same thing about you."

"Well, I guess you're right about that. I AM a werewolf, after all. Most people don't take the news as well as you did, though.

Laelyn laughed quietly. "Well, what did you expect? I'm a nymph! Do you really think I'd be one to judge you because of what you are?"

Lupin nodded slowly. "You're a nymph! THAT'S it! I knew there was something."

She shrugged. "It's nothing really-" she stopped as he caught her wrists in his hands.

"No," he said, pulling her towards him, "It's _something_." He leaned forward, and their lips met.

Laelyn's initial feeling of shock melted away rather quickly as he kissed her, replaced by a strange, indescribable feeling that made her skin tingle pleasantly. They pulled away from each other, and when Laelyn had regained her breath, she could only think of one thing to say.

"You're gay."

"And you're married," he replied.

"Why?" Laelyn asked, looking up at him with a mixture of pain and longing. "Why are you doing this?"

"I guess…" He began slowly. "Well, I guess there's a part of me that isn't gay."

Laelyn was silent, looking into his eyes. Deep, fathomless eyes, kind and beautiful, and at the same time full of some strange animal magnetism which made Laelyn weak in the knees.

"Then I guess there's a part of me that isn't married," she replied quietly. For a moment, Lupin just stood there. Then, with one sinuous movement, he swept her off the floor and carried her in his arms like a small child. Laelyn didn't know the house, yet she knew where they were headed. Lupin placed her down on the bed and stooped over her to kiss her mouth again. 

"Do you really want this?" He breathed. She nodded furiously, her hands fumbling with the collar of his robe. He helped her pull it off, his breath quickening as her fingers tangled themselves in the hairs on his chest. 

"There are things in life which are inevitable," she said hoarsely, pulling off her robe. "I knew from the moment I saw you that this is was one of those things." She shuddered again as he caressed her bare skin. "Remus…"

"Don't say anything… it's okay…"

She cried out involuntarily as he explored her body, vaguely aware of what was happening as the world slowly slipped away…


	3. When the Morning Comes

A/N: New chapter

**A/N: **New chapter. Morning After. 'nuff said.

Thanks to Meg Albatou and Mereschino for their constant support and constructive criticism. Luv you both. Also, thank you to Lily_Lioness for reviewing! Ya reviews! And HA HA HA to Sarah, who is now, I think, an official convert to Potterism. Told ya so! 

I don't own 'em. 'cept Laelyn and Gawaine. But then you knew that, didn'tcha?

Oh, and here's a quote from Meg Albatou on the subject of Laelyn:

"This dirty slut changes colour in the sun." 

I couldn't have put it better myself.****

** **

** **

**~Chapter 3~**

** **

__

Laelyn woke up with her mind still in a daze. She stretched her arms and rolled onto the side of the bed where Lupin had lain after they'd made love. Of course, he wasn't there anymore. Laelyn wasn't the least bit shocked; after all, it would be easier to digest what they'd just done if they didn't have to see each other right away. She went to the large oak armoire standing in the corner and rummaged through it, pulling out one of Lupin's shirts, which fell to about mid-thigh on her. She buttoned the shirt up and headed into the main part of the cottage.

The clock on the kitchen wall told her that it was ten am. She still had plenty of time before she had to head back to the Burrow. She noted with some amusement that there was a fresh pot of coffee brewing, and she poured herself a cup before sitting down at the kitchen table. It was a couple minutes before she found the note.

It was sitting right in front of her, so she should have seen it sooner, but Laelyn was a bit distracted by her own thoughts, and didn't see it until she'd accidentally spilled her coffee on it. Cursing under her breath, she wiped it off carefully, laid it out flat on the table and started to read.

__

_Laelyn,_

_Sorry I couldn't be there when you woke up, but I had some things to take care of, and I didn't want to disturb you. I should be back around ten thirty. If you don't want to see me, it's okay. I want you to know that I'll understand if you feel that you have to go right away.Help yourself to whatever's in the fridge. I made coffee._

_-R.L._

_ _

Laelyn bit her lip and tapped her fingers against the coffee cup, thinking. Remus was such a darling man, and so thoughtful… On the other hand, she was married, and she did love her husband. Laelyn felt a little pang of guilt when she thought of Bill. She knew he would be crushed if he ever found out, and yet she didn't regret what she had done. She liked Remus and he liked her. She knew now for certain that he wasn't totally gay. He had definitely been attracted to her last night. A smile crossed her face as she imagined how Sirius would react if he ever found out. Something told her that he wouldn't be too pleased with her. But then again, this really was his fault in the first place, she told herself. If he hadn't introduced them, this never would have happened. Consciously she cursed Sirius for making such a mistake, but what she really felt like doing was thanking him. _Damn it. This is no fucking good, _she thought irritably to herself. _I get the distinct feeling that I'm going to pay for this…_

Her thoughts were interrupted by the sound of a key grating in the door, and she stepped out of the kitchen to see Lupin closing the door behind him. 

"You're back," She said, crossing her arms in front of her chest. He whipped his head towards her, startled. 

"Hey! You're still here?"

She gave him a bemused smile. "Why, you kicking me out?"

"No, No!" He set down his keys and a copy of the Daily Prophet and walked towards her. "It's just… I didn't expect you'd want to see me, that's all."

"Remus, just because I'm a nymph doesn't necessarily mean I'm a heartless bitch, you know."

He looked taken aback. "I could never think that." He looked into her eyes and touched her cheek with one rough palm. "Never."

She sighed heavily. "Remus… you know nothing can come from this, right? I'm not going to lie to you, I know there's something between us, but I love my husband and I love my son. That's not something that going to change too easily, you know."

He closed his eyes. "I know."

Laelyn didn't feel any better. _Damn it, I knew there was a catch…_ "I can't help but feel like I've betrayed you somehow… I hope I haven't done anything to hurt you…"

Lupin smiled bitterly. "You've given me more than I could have hoped for, Laelyn, and as for the rejection… I'm getting used to it."

She felt her heart breaking for him. "Remus, I think we had something really special. I don't want to lose that, and I don't think you do either. It can't be the way it was last night… but if we can be friends…"

He shook his head. "Maybe you can be my friend, but I don't think I can ever be yours, Laelyn." They stood in silence for a few moments, neither knowing what to say. After awhile, Lupin looked at her attire and said, "I see you found my shirts."

"I hope you don't mind. I didn't really have anything else, except the robe I came in."

"Not at all." He sat down on the couch. After a few minutes, Laelyn crossed the room and sat down beside him, curling her legs up beneath her and shifting slightly to face him. 

"I didn't choose this, you know." She brought a cool hand up to his face and traced his jaw-line with one finger. Lupin closed his eyes and breathed deeply. 

"Stop it. Please, just stop." Laelyn let her hand linger in the air beside his face before dropping it back in her lap. 

"I'm sorry," she whispered, "I don't want to hurt you…" Her voice was trembling, and Lupin couldn't help but look into her eyes. They were a bright, startling blue, and it might have been his imagination, but Lupin thought he saw the faint glitter of tears in them. 

"What DO you want?" He asked quietly. Laelyn's eyes darted quickly away from his own.

"It doesn't matter what I want," She said, with a hint of bitter finality, which Lupin didn't buy for a second. "It never has."

"It matters to me." He cupped her face and gently turned it towards himself. 

She tried to laugh back the tears. " Have you entirely forgotten that you're gay?" 

"No… I thought about that. I think it's pretty obvious that I like girls too." 

She buried her face in her hands and made a strangled noise that clearly indicated frustration. "Dammit Remus!" she said softly, "What are you doing to me?" He didn't answer her; just put his arms around her and pulled her against his chest. The dam broke, and he could feel the sharp rising and falling of her back as she sobbed silently into his shirt. 

He held her until the sobbing subsided and she was still again. He rubbed her back soothingly and kissed the top of her head, whispering comforting words into her hair. 

"Shh… you'll be all right…"

She shook her head. "We haven't seen the end of this," she said, her voice eerily prophetic. "Somehow, someday, this is going to come back to haunt us."

"Let it. I think I might be able to make room for one more skeleton in my closet." Laelyn laughed in spite of herself, but quickly sobered again. 

"Remus, I wish…" she paused. "Never mind."

"What? You can tell me. What do you wish?"

She shook her head. "No, it's pointless. Someday I'll tell you… but not now." She was still talking into his chest, and now she looked up at him and met his gaze. 

"You have to go," he said finally after staring into those wide blue eyes for what seemed like years. "You have a home and a family and people who love you. People who need you." He stood up, pulling her with him. 

She gave him a pained look and headed mechanically for the bedroom, shutting the door behind her. When she was out of sight, Lupin fell back onto the couch. 

_She's right you know; you can't have what you want here. This fight is futile, not to mention dangerous. It will never work… you'll just spend the rest of your life balanced precariously on this unsteady ledge._

_What is it about thin ice that just makes you want to tread on it?_

__"I'm ready to go now." Her voice shattered his reverie like a tiny hammer. He looked into her eyes, which were threatening to spill over again, and took her hands in his. 

_If you love something, let it go. If it comes back, then it's yours forever._

"Go home, Laelyn," he said gently. "Just go."

"I… Okay," she said quietly, averting her gaze. He backed away as she disappeared, apparating out of his cottage. 

_Just go._


	4. By the light of the moon

**A/N: **The whole time-change thing in this story has been confusing some people. Let me explain. The last two chapters were sort in flash-back mode. This chapter is in the same time frame as the first chapter. Okay? 

Thanks so much to everyone who reviewed, and especially to Emily (Meg Albatou), Lisa, Caitlin and Sarah and Whitney. You guys really ARE "my favorites". I'm so glad FF.net is back so I can finally post again! Ciao! -S

**~Chapter 4~**

_"I am your death and you decisions_

_I am your passion and your plights_

_I am your sickness and convalescence_

_I am your weapons and your light…"_

_ -"Still", By Alanis Morrisette_

**August 1st**

Laelyn entwined her fingers with Bill's as they sat in the living room of the Burrow. They had returned from Harry and Sirius' hours earlier, and were now watching their young son play with some of Fred and George's less harmful inventions on the living room floor. Molly Weasley was in the kitchen, cooking up a storm.

"You're eating for two now," she'd said to Laelyn. "We're going to have to fatten you up a bit!"

Bill patted her stomach with his free hand and grinned a rather silly grin at her. "So," he said casually, "Boy or girl?"

"You sure you want to know?" 

He rolled his eyes. "Well, you know. I KNOW you haven't been able to resist guessing aloud."

She grinned sheepishly. "You caught me. It's a boy."

Gawaine looked up at his parents from his spot on the rug. "The baby's a boy?" He asked incredulously. Laelyn nodded. 

"Mm Hm."

"For sure?"

"For sure."

The boy said nothing, but from the way he was beaming one could have assumed that happiness would have poured out if he had opened his mouth. Laelyn smiled back at her son. She knew that Gawaine had been hoping for a brother all along, but hadn't said anything to her about it. He was very tactful for a child who was not yet two years old. Mind you, Gawaine was no ordinary child.

From the moment of her son's birth, Laelyn had known that he was not just your average little boy. His birth itself had been long and painful. In fact, it had almost killed Laelyn. The young nymph often wondered if perhaps that had something to do with the child's extraordinary abilities. Even before he could talk, little Gawaine had communicated with his mother in more than just the normal cooing sounds that most newborns make. In fact, he had been practically silent for the first year of his life, except for a sigh here and there. The baby seemed more interested in watching and listening. So it had come as an absolute shock to Bill and Laelyn when, at just barely one year of age, Gawaine began to talk in full sentences. Not slowly, mind you, like any normal child, but out of nowhere, as if he'd been speaking all along. His parents were mystified.

Ever since then Gawaine had been leaps ahead of where he should be at his age. He was still more inclined to sit silently and listen rather than talk non-stop, but he showed a great deal of promise in his verbal skills. 

Laelyn had to laugh at her self, sitting there and assessing her child as if he were some new product for her father's company. But years of being her father's daughter had ingrained the habit of evaluating even the simplest things to death. Bill thought she was absolutely mad.

"…and so I told him I'd love to go to Japan for a few weeks, but I'd have to check it with you first. That's okay, right? _Laelyn_?"

She blinked a few times, breaking out of her reverie. "Hm?"

Bill rolled his eyes. "Your father wants me to go to Japan with him, to launch the new campaign."

"Japan! Again?"

"It's only for a few weeks."

Laelyn sighed irritably. "That's all it ever is. Well, have fun then." She waved her hand impatiently. 

"I'm not going yet!" Bill said, catching her by the wrist and kissing her hand. In spite of all her determination, Laelyn couldn't help but crack a smile. 

"Well, when?"

"Tuesday."

"Oh, Bill!" She drew her hand away from him, pouting slightly. "Three days from now? You couldn't have told me about this sooner?" 

"I didn't even know myself until yesterday."

Mrs. Weasley stepped into the living room. "Laelyn dear, if you and Gawaine need a place to stay, you're quite welcome here! You won't be the slightest bit lonely."

Laelyn grinned at her mother-in-law. "Thanks Molly. By the time Bill gets back, you'll probably be sorry you made that offer!"

"Nonsense!" Mrs. Weasley scoffed, waving her dishtowel dismissively. Gawaine got up from his spot on the floor and latched himself onto his grandmother's leg. "Just think, this time next year, another little darling just like this one crawling around the rug!" She ruffled her grandson's hair. 

Bill nodded, smiling, and wrapped his arm around his wife, who lay her head against his familiar shoulder and closed her eyes. 

_Miracles never cease._

**September 1st: One Month Later**

Laelyn stared out the window of Sirius and Charlie's guest room at the darkening sky, breathing in the cool air of the late-summer evening. The wind smelled like rain, and there were sounds of thunder in the distance. Over head, the moon was beginning to take its position in the sky, round and bright and… full. 

Laelyn placed a hand over her gently rounding belly as she felt the baby stir within her. Gawaine was staying with his grandparents for a while, and she was taking a break and spending the night with Charlie and Sirius. The past few days, the baby had begun to shift, and last night he had barely settled down for two consecutive seconds. Gawaine had been as calm _in utero_ as he was now, but Laelyn could tell this baby wasn't going to give her an easy time. She could only hope the delivery went more smoothly this time around. If she had to endure the same strain as the last time, her changes of survival were practically…

Laelyn's train of thought was cut short by a painful stabbing sensation in her womb. She instinctively clamped her other hand over the first one to protect the baby, but the pain was not coming from outside her body. She looked down at her stomach in horror, feeling as though someone on the _inside _was stabbing her repeatedly with a rather large knife.

"Sirius…" She managed to yell out before doubling over and falling to the ground in pain. Seconds later, Sirius and Charlie appeared in the doorway. 

"What's wrong?" Sirius cried, rushing immediately to her side.

"The baby…" she said, wincing, "Something's not right…"

Charlie swore loudly and flew to Laelyn's other side, helping her to her feet. "We've got to get her to a hospital, Si." 

"Well she can't Apparate, she's a nymph… what should we do?"

"Take her on the bike."

Sirius' eyes widened. "Are you daft? You want me to take a sick, pregnant woman on a flying motorbike?"

"Do you have a better suggestion?"

Laelyn screamed hoarsely, preventing any further discussion. "Just get me to the hospital!" She yelled, still clutching her stomach. Charlie and Sirius led her outside to where the motorcycle was parked in the driveway. 

"Can you hold onto me?" Sirius asked gently, taking her face between his hands. Laelyn nodded, her eyes closed as she tried not to think of the pain. Charlie helped her onto the bike behind Sirius and patted her on the back as she tightened her grip on the other man. 

"It's all right… You'll be fine." But even as he said the words he shot a worried glance at Sirius. _This doesn't look good._

Sirius started the engine quickly and took off, leaving Charlie to apparate alone. The younger man closed his eyes and whispered a short plea to the sky before raising his wand and disapparating: _Please let her be safe. Please._

*****

Laelyn leaned heavily on Sirius's arm as they made their way through the hallsof St. Mungo's hospital for Magical Maladies. A young witch in a nurse's uniform rushed towards them, clipboard in hand.

"What seems to be the problem?" she asked pleasantly. Laelyn moaned in pain.

"She's pregnant…" Sirius began, not quite knowing how to explain the situation. "I don't know what the matter is… she just started yelling all of a sudden!"

The nurse eyed him a little suspiciously. "Are you the father?"

"No. Her husband's the father."

"I meant are you HER father?"

Sirius scowled a little. "I'm her brother in law… sort of. What does it matter? She needs help!"

The nurse turned her attention to Laelyn. "Look at me, dear. Can you breath in deeply?" Laelyn took a deep breath and then gasped loudly as pain stabbed through her abdomen. "Oh my…" The nurse took her hand. "We'd better get you to a room."

The nurse motioned for a doctor to join them, and they led Laelyn to a small, sterile room. 

"You'll have to wait out here," the nurse said when Sirius tried to follow them.

"But she needs…"

"You have to wait out here, sir," the nurse repeated, closing the door in his face. Sirius began to pace back and forth angrily.

"What's going on? Where is she?" Sirius looked down the hall to see Charlie running towards him. "Well?"

Sirius pointed at the door. "They wouldn't let me in." 

"One of us should try to locate my brother." Sirius nodded. "I'll go if you want to be here."

"You don't have to."

Charlie smiled worriedly. "Yeah, I do. I know how much Laelyn means to you." He embraced his partner. "You love her, don't you?"

"The only woman I've ever loved."

"Other than…"

"Other than Lily, yes." He shook his head, frowning. "I'm worried about her."

Charlie nodded. "Me too. I'm going to get Bill."

"Go."

Once Charlie had disapparated, Sirius sank down into one of the chairs by the door. What if something happened? Bill had asked him to take care of Laelyn… would he be held responsible? 

The door beside him swung open, and Sirius leapt to his feet. It was the nurse. He practically grabbed her. "What's happening?"

"There's something wrong with the baby… We're going to have to induce labor."

Sirius's eyes widened. "Labor? But she's only four months pregnant!"

"She's already in a great deal of danger as we speak. If we don't get that baby out of her, she'll die." The nurse stared at him as if he were too inferior to understand. "We have to do what we have to do."

Sirius nodded reluctantly. "Then do it. Quickly."

*****

Bill and Charlie Weasley appeared in the hospital less than ten minutes after Sirius had spoken with the nurse. Charlie looked as worried as before, but Bill looked absolutely frantic.

"Where is she? Oh God… what's wrong with my wife?" 

"She's in there…" Sirius nodded his head towards the room. "They told me about ten minutes ago that they were inducing labor. She's going to lose the baby, Bill. It's the only way that they can save her."

Bill dashed for the door, and Charlie and Sirius followed him into the room. There, on a large metal birthing table, lay an unconscious Laelyn. The doctor was bending down between her legs, staring at something in his hands. Bill rushed forward.

"What's going on? Is she all right?"

The doctor didn't respond. He only shook his head and muttered something to the nurse, who took one look at what he was holding and then turned away as if she was about to be sick. Bill looked down at the doctors hands and turned as white as a scroll of parchment. 

"Oh my god…"

*****

The first thing Laelyn saw when she opened her eyes was a blinding white light. _I'm dead, _She thought, closing her eyes quickly. _I must have died. _

_ I don't remember dying…_

She opened her eyes again, this time more slowly, and saw that the light she'd seen was not some heavenly aura, but merely the bright fluorescent lights of the obstetrics wing at St. Mungo's. _Now I remember…_

She looked over to her right side and breathed a sigh of relief. "Bill," she said groggily. Her husband looked over at her, startled to hear his name. Laelyn felt fear surge through her at his expression."What is it?" She whispered. "The baby…"

He shook his head. "The baby's gone…," he said icily. Laelyn felt tears spring to her eyes.

"I'm sorry, Bill, I didn't-"

"…that's not all." Laelyn froze, her aching stomach tightening with apprehension. 

"What is it?"

"Something went wrong. Really wrong. One minute you were standing at the window, and the next minute you're on the floor, feeling like you're being gutted from the inside out." He paused, rubbing his eyes. "And of course no one knows what's happening. But the pain isn't letting up. So they induce labor, and you give birth to a stillborn fetus. But that's STILL not all. Because you see," Another pause, and a dry laugh, "It's a full moon. And what happens on a full moon? Huh Laelyn? Tell me what happens on a full moon!"

"Werewolves…" she whispered, feeling the knot in her stomach tighten.

"Werewolves! Oh, Werewolves, right! What do werewolves DO on the full moon, exactly?"

Laelyn closed her eyes. "They change."

"That's right. They change. All of them. Men werewolves, Women werewolves, Boy werewolves, Girl werewolves, and yes, Little tiny baby werewolves." He got up from his chair and walked towards the window. 

"Bill…"

He whipped around to face her, eyes blazing. "What? What are you going to tell me, Lae, that you can somehow explain this? Well go ahead, explain away. I'm listening."

"I never meant for it to happen, I swear. I just…" she sighed weakly. "It was Beltane, and You were so far away… I was lonely…"

"Oh, you were LONELY. Well that fixes everything."

Tears were coursing freely down her cheeks. "I know it doesn't… Bill, please don't do this to me… not now."

He stared at her with a mixture of anger and sadness, his eyes shiny with unshed tears. "'Don't do this to me'?" He ran a hand through his hair. "How can you ask me that? I didn't have a chance to ask you, did I?"

She bit her lip. "I'm so sorry."

"Are you going to try and tell me it didn't mean anything?" Laelyn stared silently into his eyes for a moment, and then cast her daze ashamedly towards the bed sheets. Bill nodded. "There you go."

"Please…" her voice cracked, and Laelyn raised a hand to wipe her eyes. "This doesn't change anything about the way I feel for you. I still love you."

"No, Laelyn." He looked at her, this time with untainted sadness. "It changes everything." And with that, he walked to the door and left her alone in the room.

Laelyn fell back against the pillows and buried her face in her hands, sobbed quietly. __

_ It wasn't supposed to happen this way. How did this get to be such a mess?_

"It's all my fault," she whispered into her hands. "All of it." She heard the sound of the door opening, and she raised her tearful eyes to see Sirius standing in the doorway. For a moment he said nothing, and then he shook his head. 

"Laelyn, what did you do?" 

She squeezed her eyes shut. "I couldn't help it… there was just something about him… like it was destined to happen or something. I felt like if I didn't follow my instincts, I'd regret it for the rest of my life." 

Sirius nodded and crossed the room, sitting down on the edge of the bed. "I know… but you should have known better."

"I…" she paused, "I think, in a way, I DID. I just… didn't care." 

He took her hand. "What am I going to do with you?"

She smiled slightly through her tears. "I'll be fine, Sirius. I just have to sort some things out." She squeezed his hand as if to add, _thank you. _"What time is it?"

"A little past noon. You were out for the whole night."

"And I'm still exhausted."

"Get some rest then." He bent towards her and kissed her forehead. "I'll leave you alone."

Laelyn gripped his hand tightly. "You don't have to go…"

Sirius smiled slightly. "Yes I do. I have things to do." He patted her hand. "Close your eyes. It'll all look better when you wake up."

Laelyn shut her eyes obediently. "'Bye Sirius."

"Goodbye." He shut the door as quietly as he could. Charlie, who was waiting outside the door, stood up as Sirius exited the room. 

"How is she?"

Sirius shook his head. "She tried to act brave, but I could tell she'd been crying her eyes out." He sighed. "I honestly don't know what's going to happen." 

Charlie sat back down. "I don't know what to think. I love Laelyn, of course, but I have to be loyal to my brother… I don't know whose side I'm on right now."

"Don't worry, you can play the middle man." Sirius put a hand on Charlie's shoulder. "I've got to go."

"Now? Where could you possibly have to go right now?"

"I need to pay a visit to an old friend…"


	5. charms and childishness

A/N: Goodness, long time no see! I bet you've all given up on this fic by now. But I haven't. not yet, anyhow. So just in case anyone still wants to read this…

CHAPTER 5: In which there is a lot of talking, weirdness and ex-lovers trying their level best to piss the hell out of each other. All rights, there's my synopsis. 

Music for this chapter is anything off of "The Bends" by Radiohead (YAY RADIOHEAD!) Song quotes (2 of 'em) from the song "just", off the aforementioned album. I inserted on into the end of the story… it's between stars (*****) and in _italics_, so yeah…

Apologies go to Lisa, for taking so long. I know, I know… bad me. *muah*

Flame away. 

Oh come on!

I LIKE it!

**~Chapter 5~**

_"You do it to yourself,_

_You do,_

_And that's what really hurts_

_Is you do it to yourself,_

_Just you,_

_And no-one else,_

_You do it to yourself…"_

_-Radiohead, "Just"_

Remus Lupin was sitting on his couch, reading, when he heard a noise from the fireplace. He leapt up and walked towards the sound, brandishing a rolled-up copy of the Daily Prophet, and was greeted by a scowling (and rather sooty) Sirius Black.

"Sirius…" Remus began, confused, "What are you doing here?"  
"How could you?" Sirius said quietly.

"Padfoot, what…"

"HOW COULD YOU?" Sirius' eyes were smoldering, and Remus knew that whatever it was that he'd done, it wasn't going over well with his friend.

"Look, I don't know what you're talking about, but if you'd just calm down, I'm sure…"

"Bull SHIT you don't know what I'm talking about! Laelyn, Remus, or have you forgotten her already?"

"Oh shit…"

Sirius rolled his eyes. "Well I should think so! Do you have anything to say for yourself other than 'Oh Shit'?"

Remus covered his face with his hands. _I knew she'd come back to haunt me… _"All right Sirius, we slept together. OK? Can I please go back to reading my paper now?"

For a moment Sirius just stared, and then he gave an ironic little laugh. "Maybe you forgot, but there tend to be certain complications when you sleep with women."

Remus' brow creased in confusion, and then a light of horrified recognition dawned in his eyes, and he dropped his newspaper. "You don't mean… I got her…"

"Pregnant? Yeah." He paused. "She miscarried last night. Funny thing about full moons… werewolves have this really adorable way of changing into scratching, biting balls of fury." Another pause. "She almost died, Remus. You almost killed her."

Lupin closed his eyes for a very long moment. "I had no idea."

"Well, thanks to your carelessness, Laelyn's about to lose everything."

"What do you mean?" Lupin looked at Sirius, who noted with some shock that his old friend looked more than a little worried. 

"Well, surely you didn't think her husband would approve. She's a married woman, Remus, she's got a CHILD! What the HELL were you thinking of?"

"I wasn't thinking of anything at all, apparently." Lupin began to pace. "Gods… how did this happen?"

Sirius felt his anger dwindling at the realization that Remus was actually quite distressed over the whole situation. He suddenly recalled that HE was the one who had introduced Lupin to Laelyn in the first place. "Well, I suppose I'm partly to blame in this too."

Lupin turned towards him, eyes narrowed. "YOU? What did YOU do?" 

"Well, I DID introduce you two. But I honestly didn't think either one of you would be so FOOLISH! Not to mention, I thought you were…"

"I thought so too." Lupin laughed bitterly. "Surprise!" He began to pace again. Sirius caught his arm abruptly, stopping him in his tracks. 

"Mind telling me what, exactly, is going on with you?"

"What do you mean?"

"It's like I don't even know who you are anymore." Sirius was frowning openly. "You've changed."

"I change at least once every month, Sirius."

"That's not what I meant. You KNOW that's not what I meant."

Lupin bit his lower lip and turned away from Sirius. "Well I'm not the only one who's changed. Or can you only see the differences in other people?"

"What?"

"Oh, come off it Sirius." Lupin was smiling a little sadly. "Neither one of us is the same as we used to be. We've been over this before."

Sirius was silent. He looked at his feet, shifting uncomfortably. After a few moments, he raised his glance to Lupin. "I miss you."

"I'm right here, Sirius. I never left."

Sirius shook his head. "Yes, you did. And so did I." He paused. "I moved on, Remus. I HAD to move on, and so did you. Apparently you still do."

"That's what I was TRYING to do!"

Sirius shook his head. "Fine. You know what, you're a grown-up, so you just do what you want, OK?"

"OK." Remus crossed his arms over his chest. "Does that mean you're finished preaching, Sirius, because you're kind of going around in circles."

Sirius shook his head. "You just don't get it, do you?" He said quietly, raising his wand. "Goodbye, Remus. I hope you're happy." He apparated out of the small cottage. Remus ran a hand through his graying hair and sat down on the couch, taking a quill and some parchment off of the coffee table and beginning to write.

_Dear Laelyn…_

*****

Laelyn woke in total darkness to the sound of tapping at her window. It took her a moment to recall her surroundings. Then she remembered: The Hospital. She strained her eyes against the darkness and saw a large gray Barn Owl outside the window, a piece of parchment clutched in its talons. Slowly and carefully Laelyn swung her legs over the side of the bed and stood. Ignoring the pain that ran through her entire body, she walked over to the window and opened it, letting the large bird in and grabbing the parchment from its claws. 

"Thank you," she whispered to the owl, cooing softly afterwards to make sure she understood her. The owl winked, but didn't fly back out the window. Laelyn got the point. "I'm supposed to respond, aren't I?" The owl hooted. "All right, give me a few seconds."

Laelyn unfolded the parchment. It felt heavier than a normal letter should. Curiously, Laelyn read the note. 

_Dear Laelyn,_

_I must see you as soon as possible. Please respond immediately, or use the portkey. _

_-R.L._

Laelyn furrowed her brow. Portkey? She turned the parchment over. There, stuck to the back of the letter, was a small, twisted piece of metal. Laelyn tried to recall the name of the muggle device. _Paperclip._

"Oh, I see!" She whispered, then turned to the owl. "You can go now," she said, stroking the bird's neck. The owl hooted and flew out of the window. Laelyn breathed deeply. "Here goes," she whispered, bringing her fingers down on the paperclip.

*****

Remus nearly leapt out of his seat as Laelyn landed in front of the fireplace. He rushed over to the young woman, who was bent over as if in pain, and put an arm around her to support her. 

"Laelyn… gods… I'm so sorry, love…"

She smiled weakly at him. "It's not entirely your fault. You couldn't have known." She sat down in the middle of the floor. "Let me rest a minute…"

Remus sat down beside her and brushed her hair away from her face. "Sirius just told me tonight… Why didn't you tell me?" 

"I didn't know there would be…" she paused. "Complications. I, um, thought it was…"

Remus squeezed his eyes shut. "Right, of course. You thought it was Bill's." Laelyn flinched at the mention of her husband, and Remus held her tighter. "He was upset with you?"

"More than that. He was furious. And heartbroken. I don't think he wants to see me ever again. And he's got my son, Remus. He's taken him away, and I don't know where they are." There were tears in Laelyn's eyes, threatening to spill over. 

"Is this true?" Remus whispered. He was half horrified and half furious.

"It has to be, doesn't it?"

"Oh, love…" He took her face between his hands. "I never in a million years meant to do this to you."

"I know that, Remus. You couldn't hurt me on purpose. You're not that type." She laid her hand on top of his. "But I am."

"No," he whispered, looking into her eyes. "No you're not. I know you better than that…"

She smiled sadly. "Remus, I'm a nymph. Whether I have any control over what happens to me doesn't matter. The outcome still hurts people, still ruins their lives. It's charm power, Remus. Have you ever stopped to wonder why there's not one person you've met, besides Severus Snape, who hasn't liked me, been DRAWN to me immediately?" she paused, shaking her head. "The only reason I can even live in this world without taking potion after potion is because my father's human. Without that, I'd create havoc. When my mother was cast out of the nymphean realm, the elders were considerate enough to reduce her charm powers so that they were weakened to the point where she could control them with potions, but even that didn't stop her from passing the power to me. " Laelyn sighed. "So you see, everyone who gets attached to me inevitably ends up getting hurt. It's not that I go around having sex with everyone who's drawn to me. But if I happen to be drawn to that person-- which actually doesn't happen too often, thank goodness – My natural instinct is to reciprocate. Like with you."

Remus furrowed his brow. "I see… but you can't possibly blame that on yourself."

"Oh yes I can." Laelyn raised her eyes to meet his. "The charm is powerful. Not so powerful that it can't be resisted, mind you… again, I'm forced to mention Severus Snape… But most people aren't aware of it, so they don't even TRY to resist. See?"

"No, I don't see," Remus replied, shaking his head. "I was… I am attracted to YOU, not you're power, not some silly charm." He laughed gently and looked into her eyes. "So there you go."

Laelyn looked away uncomfortably. "Remus…" _No matter what you say, he won't believe it… _"Thank you. For trying, I mean. For just…"

"Don't. It's nothing."

Their eyes locked. _Don't look away… please don't be afraid, _Remus prayed silently. Laelyn looked as if she would start crying again any minute. 

"You really do care about me, don't you?" Laelyn whispered.

"I really do."

She wrapped her arms around him and embraced him as tightly as she could, feeling her heart break as she did. "Why?" she half-sobbed. "Why does it have to happen like this?"

She felt Remus grow rigid at her words. "You have no obligation to me. You don't have to… feel anything for me just because I do for you."

"I know," She whispered despairingly. "But I can't… I can't stop."

Remus pulled back and regarded Laelyn disbelievingly. "You're not saying…"

She put a finger to his lips. "Don't. I don't know what I'm trying to say. Perhaps it's better if I never figure it out."

"But I want you to."

She squeezed her eyes shut. "Goddess, Remus… Are you so anxious to have your heart broken again?" She knew from his silence that she'd said the wrong thing. "I'm sorry. I didn't…"

"It's all right." Remus sighed. "Maybe you're right. Maybe I do just like getting hurt."

"It's a convenient excuse, anyhow." 

Remus gave her an odd look. "Meaning?"

"The nice thing about being human, I'd imagine, is the freedom to lie to everyone, including yourself." Laelyn smiled sadly. "Not that you are. I just wish I could, that's all."

Remus frowned and pulled her to him, guiding her head to his shoulder. "I wish you could too, love. I wish you could too."

*****

_"Don't get my sympathy,_

_Hanging out the 15th floor._

_You've changed the locks three times,_

_He still comes reeling through the door_

_And soon he'll get to you,_

_Teach you how to get to purest hell…"_

*****

Cornelius Fudge locked his door and drew the window shades down. He doused the fire with water, putting it out, and turned off all the lights on the ground floor of his house. The minister of magic paused for a moment at the window on the landing, peering through the thick drapes into the wood surrounding his home, unable to surpress a dark, foreboding feeling as he did so. He took a deep breath as the bushes on the forest's edge quivered, then relaxed as an ordinary raccoon emerged from them, empty can of tuna fish in it's paws. Scolding himself for being so ridiculous, Fudge drew the drapes closed again and started back up the stair to his bedroom. 

_How silly of me to be so fearful of nothing, _He thought laughingly. _After all, what is there left to fear?_

So soon did Fudge fall asleep that he did not see the flash of green light outside his window. Nor did he hear the clatter of an empty can hitting the asphalt, or the low, evil chuckle that followed.

_I told you it wasn't over…_

_You fool…_

_We've only just begun._


	6. A Rather Awkward Alliance...

**A/N:** New chapter for those who feel the need to read… This is supposedly the best chapter I've ever written (according to Meg Albatou, my sorta-kinda beta reader and sounding board). It's wicked messed. I mean it. I completely screwed with some old myths and warped them to suit my purpose. Just warning you. There's also a big amount of characters acting weird and very funny. But We deal. I've been re-discoviering Tolkien, so if Laelyn's talking funny and old fashioned, that's really why, but we'll just blame it on her species.

Music for this chapter is as follows: Lost of Radiohead, especially 'Paranoid Android' and 'High and Dry', 'Swallowed' by Bush and some KoRn… 'Falling Away From Me'.

This is for Em and Lisa.

**Chapter 6: A Rather Awkward Alliance**

_"They're the ones who'll hate you_

_when you think you've got the world all sussed out_

_They're the ones who'll spit on you,_

_you'll be the one screaming out…"_

_ -Radiohead, "High and Dry"_

Remus awoke to the sound of frantic knocking on his front door. He cursed under his breath as he looked down at the small figure rested against his chest; face peaceful at last in her slumber. Remus could not recall when he and Laelyn had fallen asleep on the couch the previous night (or had it been morning?), only that they'd talked for hours like that, he half-reclining against the cushions, she with her head resting comfortably on his chest He sighed as his fingers brushed against the pale skin of her cheek.

"Suppose I'll have to answer that," he muttered to himself. Slowly and carefully, he slid himself out from underneath the tiny woman's sleeping form and laid her down on the couch. She made a muffled noise and rolled over as he covered her with a blanket and got up from the sofa to answer the door. 

"What is it-" he stopped short as he saw who it was. "Sirius." His eyes clouded over as he recalled the previous night's argument. Remus blocked the doorway. "What do you want?"

"This is no time to hold grudges, Remus," said Sirius darkly. "Cornelius Fudge has been killed."

"What?" Remus cried in shock. "How?"

"_HE_'_S_ escaped."

Remus felt as if the room was spinning, but outwardly he kept his cool. "What can I do?"

Sirius reached into his pocket and drew out a sealed envelope. "These are instructions from Dumbledore. He wanted me to deliver them personally. You can never tell who might intercept owls…"

"I understand," Remus said, nodding. 

"I suppose I'll see you soon," Sirius said, already retreating. Remus only nodded and went to close the door, when he was stopped by Sirius' voice. "Oh, and Remus?" Before Lupin could respond, a large duffle bag landed at his feet on the front porch. "She'll be needing that." With that, Sirius jumped on his motorcycle and flew off.

"How did you know?" Lupin asked Sirius' retreating form as he picked up the duffle bag and dragged it inside. After securing every lock and bolt on the door, he turned around to find that Laelyn was stirring. Remus strode over to her side.

"Remus?" She asked hazily as she rubbed her eyes. "Was that… did I hear Sirius at the door?"

Remus nodded and cupped her face in one hand. "Yes, love. He brought your things." He motioned to the bag.

"Why didn't you wake me?" Laelyn sat up and tilted her head, trying to get him to look at her. But Remus was too busy breaking the seal on the envelope and taking out Dumbledore's letter to pay her much attention. He unfolded the piece of parchment and began to read.

__

_ Remus,_

_ As Sirius has told you by now, the minister of magic was murdered last night. The curse used was Avada Kadavra." _Remus flinched, _"After the minister's body was discovered, the Azkaban guards were alerted, and it was discovered that Lord Voldemort has escaped from Azkaban."_

_ "I believe that another war is brewing, and this time I think it will take much more than a child to stop the Dark Lord. As in the past, the ministry is more concerned with trivial issues than the fate of our world. It is time to take matters into our own hands once again. I am organizing a resistance, a small army of skilled magical practitioners. I am determined to bring the Dark Lord to justice this time, Remus, but I cannot do it alone. I need your help. Please seriously consider joining us at Hogwarts as soon as possible. We are meeting and forming our alliance as you are reading this letter. Your expertise will come in handy, of that I've no doubt. _

_ I hope to see you soon, Remus. Our fate is in our own hands now._

_ -Albus Dumbledore_

_ P.S: I heard it through the grapevine that Laelyn Thorne-Weasley is no longer staying in St. Mungo's maternity ward. No one seems to be able to locate her. Curious, isn't it? _

_ Please tell her that, if she is feeling better, we could use her help as well._

Remus put down the letter and turned to Laelyn, his brow furrowed. "I have some bad news…"

Laelyn had seen the seal on the envelope. "From Hogwarts?" She looked at him fearfully and he nodded.

"The worst kind. Cornelius Fudge is dead."

"No," Laelyn breathed, putting a hand over her mouth. "How? When?"

"Avada Kadavra, apparently. Last night." Laelyn's eyes went wide. 

"Was it… no, Remus, please don't tell me it was…"

Remus nodded gravely. "He's escaped from Azkaban." Remus suddenly felt a surge of anger. "Curse that Fudge for not executing him when he had the chance! Why did he even need to await trial? It's fucking _Voldemort_, for hell's sake!"

Laelyn looked as though she was going to cry. "I could have killed him. I had the chance. And I didn't! I couldn't!" Remus placed a hand on her shoulder.

"It's not your fault he escaped. Don't blame it on yourself."

"I know. And I'm not. I just… I can't believe it." She held her hand out. "May I read that?" Remus handed her the letter and she read it in silence. "Well, I suppose that's it then," she said putting the letter down. "We should go soon."

Remus frowned. "I'm not so sure that you _should_ go, Laelyn. Last night you could barely stand by yourself. You shouldn't put yourself in danger when you're already dead on your feet."

"I'm fine, Remus!" Laelyn said, jumping up from the couch. "Nymphs heal quickly, see?"

He narrowed his eyes. "I don't think it's a good idea."

"Dumbledore does, and he would know, wouldn't he?"

"He didn't see you last night." Remus put a hand on her shoulder and tried to make her sit back down on the couch. "I did. And I think you should stay where you'll be out of danger."

Laelyn shoved his hand away and ducked around him, heading towards her bag. "This isn't up for discussion Remus," she said stubbornly. "I'm getting changed and then we're going."

Lupin could tell from the resolved expression on her face and the tone of her voice that he'd lost the battle. "If you get hurt…" he began, yelling at her through the bathroom door. 

"Then you can say I told you so as much as you want. We'll cross that bridge when we come to it," she replied as she left the bathroom, still pulling on her shirt. She rummaged around in her bag. "Where are they…" she muttered. Remus shook his head. 

"I really hope you know what you're getting into here."

Laelyn gave an exasperated groan as she headed back to the bathroom and leaned close to the mirror, putting in her contacts. "I do, Remus, and trust me, I can handle it! I could two years ago, couldn't I, and I'd just given birth then too. I'm fine. OW!" 

Remus rushed through the open door to the bathroom. "What! What is it? Are you all right?" She turned and glared at him.

"I poked myself in the eye," she said flatly. "Dangerous business, putting in contacts is."

"Sorry. I just thought maybe something went wrong… you know…"

She put her second contact in and sighed. "Remus, I'm not a china doll. I don't need to be locked in a display case. I'M FINE!" 

"All right, all right… I get it." She turned and smiled at him.

"Good."

"Hey… what happened to your eyes?" Remus said, confused. Laelyn's eyes, which usually reflected the color of the sky, were now a deep midnight blue. The sky outside was pale gray, almost white.

"What did you think the contacts were for?" She blinked her eyes rapidly to help state her point. "I've worked on teams before, and if there's one thing I know, it's that nobody trusts the nymph. So I try to make it less obvious."

"Ah. I see." Remus reached out and touched her cheek gently. "Just for the record, _I_ trust the nymph."

She smiled and put her hand over his. "How odd… I trust the werewolf. So there it is, I suppose."

*****

**Later that evening…**

"I just want to know WHY, Albus?" Severus Snape and Albus Dumbledore were standing in the headmaster's office.

"Severus, Severus…" Professor Dumbledore smiled kindly at Snape. "This is pointless! I don't see why you insist on keeping up this whole charade." 

Snape scowled. "It's not a 'Charade', Headmaster… It's not even for my own personal reasons that I ask. I just want to know what use they'll be to this operation!"

"Remus and Sirius are two of our most trustworthy friends and allies, despite what you may think. I know for years we all thought Sirius was guilty but clearly he's proven his innocence time and time again since then. And Remus has always been most useful in times of war. It is always handy to have magical creatures on your side, and with the help of your wolfsbane potion he will have all of the strength of the werewolf when he transforms yet he'll retain his senses and only attack our enemies. Yes," Dumbledore concluded, "That will be most convenient indeed."

"All right, I suppose they're needed," Severus admitted. "But I don't like it, Albus. I have a bad feeling."

"I have many bad feelings, Severus, but none of them have anything to do with Sirius Black and Remus Lupin. Nor would yours, if you were being sensible. But then we both know what this REALLY boils down to." He gave Snape a meaningful look. "It's just about time you buried the hatchet, don't you think?"

Just then, the doors to Dumbledore's inner office creaked open and in strode Sirius Black, closely followed by Remus and Laelyn. "Professor, we're here," Sirius proclaimed. Snape let out a strangled, choking sort of noise. 

"YOU?" He said, looking straight at Laelyn. She stared back at him coolly. Severus turned to Dumbledore. "Her?!"

"I think he means me," Laelyn said sweetly, her eyes still on Snape. "SO nice to see you after all this time, Severus."

Snape scowled at her. "The pleasure is mine, _Nymph_," he hissed, as if to remind her of her place. Remus was glaring angrily. 

"Listen Snape, if you even think that you can-"

"It's all right, Remus," Laelyn said, instinctively laying a hand on his arm. Snape raised an eyebrow at them but said nothing. Sirius, unsure whom he was most angry with, turned to Dumbledore. 

"Well? Where do we begin?"

Dumbledore smiled at Sirius, grateful to him for changing to subject. "I don't believe we should begin until everyone has arrived. We won't waste time repeating everything five times over."

"Who are we waiting for?" Laelyn interrupted. Dumbledore reached for a scroll of parchment on his desk. 

"Here is the list of people who I've sent word to so far. They should all be arriving throughout the night." Dumbledore held out the parchment. "I'm afraid I'll have to leave you all now. After all, it IS still the first day of school, and I have a sorting to attend. Sirius, Remus and Laelyn, you are all welcome to retire to your old rooms if you get tired, I believe they are vacant. Rest well, tomorrow will be a very busy day indeed!" Laelyn nodded and took the parchment as the Headmaster left the office. She unrolled it, reading from the list of names, a few of which she recognized. Remus read over her shoulder. 

"Arabella Figg… of course, of course…" 

"Look, Seamus Finnigan!" Laelyn smiled reminiscently. Snape looked as though he had a massive headache. "And… oh! Hermione!"

"Of course Hermione," said Sirius. 

"Harry Potter. What a surprise! No doubt Ginny will have something to say about that!" Laelyn laughed slightly as her eyes traveled down the list to the 'W' section. "Look at that… Arthur Weasley, Charles Weasley, Fred Weasley, George Weasley, Molly Weasley, Percival Weasley, Ronald Weasley, William…" She paused. "Bill," she whispered. Lupin tried very hard not to frown. "He's coming here?" Laelyn shook her head. "Of course he is… Remus do you think… do you think he'll bring…"

Remus saw the Nymph's obvious excitement at the thought of seeing her son again. The last thing he wanted her to do was get her hopes up. "I don't know, dear. I really don't." Laelyn frowned slightly before turning back to the list.

"Draco Malfoy." Laelyn felt a lump rise in her throat. "I haven't seen him since…" Sirius put a comforting arm around her.

"No one has. Word is he and Narcissa sold Malfoy manor and left England for a while after Lucius' death, hoping people would forget their connections with Voldemort. Didn't he complete his schooling by correspondence?"

"That's right," said Snape, who had been silent until now. "Draco was never a part of Lucius' dark plots… He hated Voldemort just as much as anyone of us does, but no one could see that. Even I thought he was involved in his father's plans."

"Yes, you have a way of condemning people without knowing the truth, don't you?" Sirius had turned to Snape, eyes ablaze. Severus just snorted. 

"The whole wizarding world condemned you without knowing the truth, Black. Can you really presume to blame it all on me?"

"I wasn't talking about me, Snape, I was talking about Laelyn!"

Snape chuckled sardonically. "Defending your sweetheart, Sirius? I think Lupin might have something to say about that, not to mention her husband!"

"It's not like that," Sirius said through clenched teeth, "Just stay off of her!"

"I can fight my own battles, Sirius!" Laelyn interjected.

"And a bang up job you're doing of it, letting him tread on you like that! Honestly Laelyn… I thought you were made of stronger material than that!"

Laelyn's mouth fell open incredulously. "Sirius Black, how dare you?"

"I thought you were trying to defend her, Sirius, not insult her!" Lupin glared at his former lover and friend. 

"Well, this is quite the crooked little love triangle we have going here, isn't it?"

"Shut up Snape!" Cried Sirius and Laelyn in unison. Remus narrowed his eyes at Snape. 

"You're just jealous!"

"Don't be ridiculous," Snape spat back at him. Remus left Laelyn's side to advance on his rival. 

"It's true! You've always been jealous of me, Snape. What is it, hm? The fact that, werewolf and all, I STILL managed to win him over when you couldn't?"

"Stop it, Remus…" Sirius warned.

"You're insane, Lupin. This isn't about Black. You're mad to think that I would be envious of anything you've ever had." The two were now almost nose to nose. Laelyn and Sirius both moved towards them carefully. 

"Remus… just let it go…"

"Come on Moony… now's really not the time…"

But Remus was intent on continuing his argument with Snape. "What is it about then, Hm? Maybe it's Laelyn. Maybe you're not as strong as you thought, eh Severus?"

"What makes you think I'd want your whore? She is of no use to me." Remus wound up to punch Snape, but before he could they were stopped by a loud voice.

"Stop, Severus Snape!" The three men turned towards Laelyn (for it was she who had spoken), mouths agape. The lights flashed and dimmed as if a fuse had been blown, and the lantern on Dumbledore's desk exploded. Laelyn's face was shadowed and angry, and despite her small stature it seemed to the men as though she'd grown to be several feet taller than them all. 

"Do not attempt to insult me or undermine my powers!" The suddenly dark and frightening Nymph yelled, and it seemed as if her voice was many voices all rolled into one, echoes of the same words spoken in many tones, both high and low, sweet and harsh, yet all roared at top volume towards the men's faces. "Foolish one! Do not trifle with that which you know nothing of! You have much to learn, Severus Snape, and not much time left in your mortal life to learn it. Do not waste the precious days you have left indulging in petty rivalries and mindless squabbles!" Laelyn threw back her head and another lantern shattered. "Do not tempt me, Severus Snape! It is true that you must choose your friends wisely, but I must warn you to exercise the same amount of caution when making enemies. When the time of war is close at hand, the last place you will want to be is across the battlefield from me. Of this you have been warned. Consider it done!" Laelyn's frightening new form gave a final yell and collapsed to the floor. The three men squinted as the lights flared brightly and returned to their normal level when the Nymph, who now appeared fragile and small, not great and frightening, lost all consciousness. 


	7. Fury

**A/N: **Okay, I'm sorry this took so long… I had it written, but it wouldn't post, so I had to save it again in a new file, and we'll see if it works this time. Music for this chapter is as follows: 'Temptation' by the Tea Party, 'Beautiful Like You' by Joy Drop and a little Marilyn Manson (ack!), 'Sweet Dreams', I think. Let's throw in some Alanis, just as an equalizer ('Still') and there you have it. Proof that I have too much time on my hands. 

Thank you's to Mereschino and Meg and Sawa, as always. 

Further more, I would like to add that in this chapter I warped and twisted some pretty old myths and legends to suit my purpose. Anyone who might object to that definitely has the right, but just to let you know, I AM aware that it doesn't go quite like that…

Have fun!

**Chapter 7: Fury**

Laelyn awoke less than five minutes later to the sound of harsh whispers. She slowly opened her eyes and found that she was still in Dumbledore's office, not standing but lying on a small couch in the outer room. Remus was standing at her head, Sirius at her side, and at her feet stood Severus Snape. They were all talking to each other in harsh whispers. 

"You'll leave her alone, Severus! That's not a request!"

Snape glared angrily at Remus Lupin. "You saw her, as plainly as I did. You know what that was as well as I do."

"I don't care what it was, she needs her rest and you will not wake her!"

"It's no use, I've already been woken." Laelyn sat up and swung her legs over the side of the couch. "And haven't I made it perfectly clear that I don't need your protection? Or would you like another demonstration?"

Remus sat down beside her, as did Sirius. Laelyn stood up irritably, not in the mood to be flanked on either side by over-protective men, and started towards the window at the other side of the room. Half way there, Snape caught up to her, grabbing her arm and spinning her around to face him.

"I know what you are," He hissed angrily. Laelyn rolled her eyes. 

"Of course you do. Could you let go of my arm please, you're hurting it."

He tightened his grip on her. "As if you can feel physical pain at all! I've figured you out! Everything… this whole little game you're playing… I know, Thorne." He twisted her arm slightly, and Laelyn grimaced. "You've got those two idiots fooled. They let themselves get charmed into believing you… but not me. I never, not for one second, believed you were the innocent young thing you seemed to be. And I was right!"

Laelyn jerked her arm away from his and rubbed the tender spot where his hand had bruised her flesh. "I don't know what you're talking about."

"I'm sure you don't!" Snape glared at her, and his dark eyes seemed to pierce the very fabric of her soul. Remus started to get up.  
"Leave her alone!" Laelyn held up her hand, and Remus found himself rooted to the spot. 

"I am sorry Remus but you'll have to stay there." Lupin gasped and tried helplessly to move his feet. Sirius didn't even attempt to move, as he guessed it was pointless. "Laelyn, what's going on?"

"Oh, and I'm going to have to ask you to be silent as well." She glanced sorrowfully at the two men on the sofa as she waved her hand again. 

"Tell them, Thorne! Tell them what I already know!" Snape started towards her again.

"If you know so much then why don't you tell them yourself?"

Snape's eyes flared with rage and he turned a rather interesting shade of red. "Fine," he snapped, turning to the two frozen men. "If you really wish me to…"

"I do."

A hint of a smile passed over Snape's face, but it was a cruel smile, not a happy one. "This woman," he said, hastily gesturing to Laelyn, "Has deceived you. She has made you believe that she is helpless and weak and innocent, in need of your protection. She has lied to you."

"I have not! You _know_ that's not even possible, Severus!"

"You wanted me to tell them what you are!" He sneered at her. "I will tell them in my own way."

"But none of that's true!"

"Silence!" Snape turned back to Remus and Sirius. "She has spun her web of lies so carefully that not even you two could tell the difference between what she is and what she claims to be. This woman is not a nymph."

Laelyn looked at him with barely concealed shock. "I am! I thought you knew what you were talking about!"

"You're not!" Snape turned sharply and advanced on her, backing her towards the wall. "You're not a nymph! You're a Fury!"

"Of all the stupid, uneducated…" Laelyn sputtered. Snape cut her off.

"Do you mean to tell me that what I say is untrue?"

"Yes! You have told lie after blatant, disgusting lie!"

"Then you're not a Fury?" a look of satisfaction passed over Snape's face as Laelyn's confidant and contrary veneer wore thin.

"I… I cannot say that…"

"Then you have lied! To all of us! You are not some innocent Nymph! You're not a nymph at all!"

"SILENCE, YOU IDIOT!" Laelyn practically roared. "Do you know nothing at all? Furies are the daughters of Gaea, Earth-Goddess, mother of the forests and the mountains. NYMPHS, Severus! Furies ARE Nymphs!"

Snape was silent for a moment before backing away. "No… I am right, I must be right…"

Laelyn shook her head and walked away from the wall, pacing in front of Remus and Sirius, who were both listening in rapt fascination. "You are not right, Severus. You have no idea what you are talking about. Thousands of years ago, before the veil that separates the Nymphean realm from all others was created, the furies and the nymphs used to be companions. Some of the male Nymphs even bred with the furies. More than a quarter of all the female Nymphs who live today are of that hybrid of nymph and fury. Like I said, you have much to learn."

"And I suppose a child like you will be the one to teach it to me?" 

"CHILD?" Laelyn laughed sardonically. "Severus, you are a fool! Do you know nothing of the Nymphean realms? I may only be half-nymph, but I did, for a short time, live amongst the people of the wood. For two years, in fact." She paused. "Two of your years. Two hundred of ours."

The room was silent, the three men too shocked to react. 

"Yes," Laelyn continued. "Time passes quite differently there. I spent two hundred years in that realm, beyond the heavy veil that separates this time from theirs, before I was cast out of there. In that world, I lived for two centuries. But when I returned, I was only two years older." Remus looked as if he desperately wanted to say something, as did Sirius. Laelyn turned towards them and shook her head. "I'm sorry, I'd forgotten about that." She waved her hand. "You may talk now."

Both men began to talk at once.

"What the HELL is going on here?" Sirius cried.

"You never told me anything!" said Remus, rising and walking over to Laelyn. 

"Why all the secrets Lae?" Sirius said, this time more quietly. 

"I told you you were special!" Remus remarked quietly, placing his hands on her shoulders.

"Oh, that's really sweet," Snape said sarcastically. Then he dropped the sugary tone of voice. "ARE YOU OUT OF YOUR MIND? SHE'S PRACTICALLY A DEMON, AND YOU'RE CALLING HER 'SPECIAL'?"

"Oh shut up," Laelyn spat. "I'm not a fucking demon and you know it. Now stop being mellow- dramatic and make yourself useful before I'm forced to put on another light show."

"You wouldn't. I saw what that took out of you… it would practically kill you to transform like that again so soon."

Laelyn stepped away from Remus' protective presence and stood right in front of Snape, looking up at him calmly. "Let me tell you something, Severus. These powers are not easy to control. It takes a great amount of self-awareness for me to keep them in check. Every time I summon my earth-powers, whether intentionally or by mistake like I did back there, I grow stronger. I may appear to be back to normal, but the power you saw is still flowing through me. You saw what I did to Remus and Sirius with a simple wave of my hand. Right now, I could punch a hole through a mountain by _blinking._ I would quite seriously consider thinking twice before you insult my strength again." Her tone was light, but carried a very serious undercurrent. Snape's eyes darted to each person in the room in turn.

"Dumbledore will not like this," He said to Laelyn, who had walked back to where Lupin was and now had her back to him. The Nymph looked over her shoulder as she and Remus started towards the door, following Sirius, who seemed quite anxious to leave and discuss this without Snape in the room. "I'm sure he will have something to say when I tell him," Snape added maliciously. Laelyn just smiled impishly.

"Dumbledore knows," She said before stepping out of the room and slamming the door.

*****

"Not that I think there's anything wrong with it, but I just don't understand it, that's all."

Laelyn crossed her arms and leaned back in the large armchair in Sirius' room. "What part don't you understand?"

"You're a Fury. Okay, I get that. You will… CAN only seek vengeance against your enemies, and even then you can only hurt them when they provoke you. I get that too. What I'm not understanding is how we never knew about this." He looked at Remus. "Am I right? Doesn't that seem a little off to you?"

Remus shook his head. "I never expect people to tell me everything. When was the last time you saw me walk up to someone and say, 'Hi, nice to meet you, my name's Remus and I'm a werewolf!'" Sirius scowled in reply (although Remus could tell he was fighting a smile.) _Thank goodness. I've had just about enough angry Sirius to last me the rest of my life!_

"I actually CAN explain that, Sirius." Laelyn looked at him guardedly, as if he would snap at her any second. Remus thought to himself that the change was remarkable. Less than two hours ago they'd left Dumbledore's office, and Laelyn had been defiant and haughty towards Severus Snape to the point where, had it not been so shocking, it would have been extremely humorous. 

"I only discovered my powers about two years ago," Laelyn continued. "After Gawaine's birth I began to have dreams, and then later visions, sort of like flashes that came to me at all hours of the day. Of women… great, terrible women, and of powerful, earth-bound men. The Furies and the nymphs.

"I didn't know what these visions meant, and they kept getting more intense, but I never really worried until I started recognizing the men and women in my dreams. It was almost as if these strange visitations were telling me the history of my people, for I saw many years pass in flashes. I saw the Girl-children of these kings and queens grow older. They were powerful, retaining both the mystery and beauty of their fathers and the strange, frightening vengeance of their mothers. But unlike the Furies, the half-bred offspring could control their powers and use them at will. I saw many generations spring from these folk, but I never once saw their faces until one day. It was raining, and I was holding Gawaine in my arms, when the flash came into my mind. And I saw her, this dark, mysterious woman, a frightful sight like all the others… and when I saw her face, I'm sure I must have screamed. It was my mother.

"Afterwards, when I'd recovered from the shock of seeing her like that, I went to her, and she told me the truth. She said she'd thought that the last bit of power must have been worn out through the generations, since I hadn't had the visions as a young child, but as it turns out, the power had only dwindled and came later on in my life, for which I am actually grateful. At least now, at this age, I'm able to deal with the news. But I'm sure you can see now why I was hesitant to tell anyone. I'm scared of what people will think of me. Over the past two years I've learned to control the transformations almost entirely, but sometimes I still slip up." She smiled a little sheepishly. "But then, you knew that already."

Sirius reached out and patted her knee lightly. "I understand. I'm sorry I acted the way I did. I was just… surprised… that's all."

Laelyn smiled back at him. "It's all right, I'm not even offended in the slightest. Frankly I expected you to be much more upset. It seems I've misjudged you… again. And you…" Laelyn turned to Remus, practically beaming. "What can I say? I don't think there's anyone in the entire world who thinks like you do!"

Remus shrugged. "I don't know about that… I guess I just judge people on what kind of a person they are, not on their species. And I know that you're a good person."

"Yeah, you're 'special'," Sirius said mockingly. Remus shot him a look.

"Shut up, that wasn't meant for your ears!"

There was a tense moment. Laelyn watched as the former lovers locked eyes for what seemed like a long while. Then they seemed to come to some sort of agreement, and Sirius laughed lightly.

"Something tells me it wasn't meant for Severus' ears either, but…" He broke off and began to laugh, unable to finish his sentence. "Did you see his face? Priceless!"

"'SHE'S PRACTICALLY A DEMON, AND YOU'RE CALLING HER 'SPECIAL'?'" Remus joined in the laughter.

"And then Laelyn… 'I'm not a fucking demon'… perfect, just perfect!" Laelyn laughed as Sirius tried in vain to imitate Snape's expression as she told him off, which only resulted in him laughing harder. They were still in stitches when the door swung open and Charlie Weasley walked into the room, wearing a somber expression.

"Well I can see you three are taking our current situation very seriously."

Laelyn laughed. "It's funny, because you said 'serious', and HE'S 'Sirius', but he's laughing…" she shook her head, laughing even harder. Sirius got up from his chair and crossed the room to where his lover was standing. 

"Sorry Charlie. I'll behave." Charlie put on his best stern expression.

"You'd better." The group seemed to have calmed down quite a bit. 

"I needed that," Remus said, looking rather relieved. "I think the school was about to explode from all the tension and angst we'd been packing it with." Charlie left Sirius' side and walked over to Laelyn, kneeling beside her chair. 

"How are you?" He asked her quietly. Laelyn shrugged.

"I'm fine, I guess. I've certainly been better, but as you can see, I'm still standing, and doing a pretty good job of it, if I do say so myself."

Charlie squeezed her shoulder reassuringly. "I know that maybe you thought because I'm Bill's brother that's I'd be… but I'm not. You know that, right?"

"Yes Charlie, I know that. Thank you." She smiled soberly at him.

"I'm not condoning it, though," Charlie said quickly. "But Bill's acting just as foolishly as you did, and I don't like that very much either." Laelyn's eyes darted over to Remus, who was doing his best to pay attention to Sirius' conversation while Charlie and Laelyn talked.

"Could we not discuss this now, Charlie? I'm very upset about it still…"

Charlie nodded hastily. "Of course you are. I'm sorry."

Laelyn patted his hand. "Thank you Charlie. I was hoping you'd understand."


	8. The Alliance is Formed

**A/N:** I've now reached the point where I've posted everything I've written. Damn. I'm going to have to get cracking. I'm trying to focus on my Percy/Oliver fic for a while, though, so I thought I'd put this and chapter 7 up so that Lisa won't come and murder me in my sleep. Heh heh… sleep looks like sheep… Oh damn it, I think I'm turning into Sarah. Speaking of, Sarah, I love you! You're reviews are so… okay, you know they're funny. But orange juice, sarah? What the hell?

So now Tina's reviewing my poems but not signing in, cuz she hates me. Never mind that I already know her penname. Why do you hate me, tina? Wait, you'll never read this…

Thanks to Lisa, sarah and Em, the only three people who are actually reading this. Luv you all! 

Music for this chap. is 'In the End' by Linkin Park, 'My Sacrifice' by Creed. And let's throw in anything punk rock, because I was in a crappy music mood when I wrote this. 

**Chapter 8: The Alliance is Formed**

_"I tried so hard and got so far_

_But in the end, it doesn't even matter…"_

_-'In the end', By Linkin Park_

The people on Dumbledore's list did indeed continue to arrive throughout the night and well into the next day. Laelyn, Remus, Charlie and Sirius did not get any sleep at all, as they had to brief the new arrivals to Hogwarts as to where they needed to go and what they needed to be doing while they waited for Dumbledore. 

Ron and Hermione arrived around midnight, each carrying a small bag. 

"Laelyn!" Hermione cried upon seeing her. "Are you helping with this too?"

The nymph nodded and embraced her friends and former students. "Hermione, Ron… It's so nice to see you both." The couple had been staying in Canada for the past few months since graduation, both training to be aurors.

"We've missed you terribly," Said Ron, hugging his sister in law. "We were going to call you and Bill from Canada, but then we realized that you don't have a phone."

"Molly told us about the baby," Hermione said quietly. "I'm so sorry, Laelyn."

"She did?" Laelyn looked slightly ill. "What did she tell you?"

"Only what Bill told her; that you'd miscarried, and that you two were spending a little time apart so that you could work some things out." Ron shook his head. "I don't know what's gotten into him… you need his support right now. I'll talk with him if you'd like."

Laelyn was amazed at what she'd heard. She'd thought that Bill would tell his whole family the truth, his mother at the very least. She shook her head in response to Ron's question. "No Ron, I'd rather you not. It was my idea, actually. I'm afraid your brother is the innocent one here. Please just don't mention it to him… I don't know how he'll react."

The arrivals of the other people on the list were peppered with Weasleys; after Ron and Hermione came Fred and George, straight from their magical joke shop, followed by Molly and Arthur (The former pulling out a handkerchief and clinging to Laelyn until Charlie had to pull her off and take her elsewhere to 'help sort out the plans'). Next came Percy, who had shared a carriage with Oliver Wood, the newest Keeper for the Chudley Cannons. Bill was still nowhere to be found. 

Laelyn was pacing the entrance hall to the school around two a.m. when the doors were flung open and a tall form appeared against the rainy sky. Laelyn had to stop herself from gasping audibly. It was Draco Malfoy.

"Draco…" She whispered, starting towards him. Malfoy closed the door behind him. 

"Professor Thorne," He said quietly. Laelyn looked at him in confusion. The once-arrogant young man now seemed sad and almost shy. His hair, which he had always worn slicked back from his face, was now longer, and hung about his face like a straight, shiny curtain. His expression had softened, and his gray eyes, which Laelyn had once thought were as cold as steel now seemed deep and thoughtful. Laelyn, unsure of what to do, reached out her hand. Draco took it, and Laelyn was surprised when he pulled her to him and embraced her instead of shaking hands with her.

"Thank you," He whispered in her ear, not releasing her. 

"For what?"

"For stopping him. For helping us break free. For giving us the second chance we needed." He pulled back and looked into her eyes. "I never forgot what you did. I told mother about you. She says thanks. You told me the last time we saw each other that I would feel better eventually. You were right. So thank you." He smiled. "I've been waiting for two years to say that."

Laelyn felt her heart soar at the sight of the young man before her. He was smiling, actually smiling. Not sneering, not giving what looked like a poor impression of Snape… really SMILING. It transformed his already-handsome face, making him look even better than before. He looked truly happy. _And I helped him. I really helped him._ "You're welcome, Draco. It's good to see you again. You look fantastic… and much happier."

"You don't. You look exhausted and half-starved." Laelyn chuckled to herself at his bluntness. _Some things never change…_

"I've been better. But that's not really important right now…"

"Yes, of course… where does Dumbledore want me to go?"

Laelyn gestured around the entrance hall. "Pick a corridor, any corridor… we won't be meeting until much later in the afternoon. A bunch of people are upstairs in the staff lounge, or you can prowl the halls… it doesn't really matter at this point." 

Draco nodded and thanked her, then started off towards one of the smaller halls. Laelyn was about to head back to the staff room when the doors opened again. 

"Laelyn?" 

She whipped around at the sound of that voice. At first she couldn't say anything, and then she was finally able to manage speaking. "Bill…"

There was an awkward silence between them. Laelyn fiddled with the hem of her shirt. "Where's Gawaine?" She asked quietly. Bill frowned.

"I left him in Cairo, with Charmaine." 

"Our son is in Egypt?" Laelyn cried, shocked. 

"Did you want me to bring him here, where Dumbledore's assembling an army? I didn't think so."

Bill was staring at her coldly. "I guess you're right… and Charmaine IS the sort of person who'd take good care of him…" She trailed off and just looked at her husband helplessly. "I don't suppose there's anything I can do to make it better between us, is there?"

Bill didn't say anything, just pushed past her and down the nearest corridor, leaving her alone again in the entrance hall.

"Fine," Laelyn whispered. "If that's the way you want it."

*****

"So you're saying that they're still together?"

Sirius shook his head. "I don't know, Charlie, but they're certainly more than friendly." He sighed. "I'm worried about her."

Charlie nodded. "I can see that, but Sirius, she's a grown woman. Whatever she does is her own decision, and I'm sure she knows how to handle it."

"But that's just it, She doesn't know how!" Sirius got up from his armchair and started to pace. "She may be over two hundred years old, but the two hundred extra years she's lived were in the Nymphean realm. She's been sheltered for almost her whole life, and she can't control her powers like she should. It's overwhelming and confusing, and I'm afraid of what she might end up doing to HERSELF." 

"Sirius, relax." Charlie walked over to his lover and put his hands on his shoulders. "She's not going to hurt herself. She may be naïve, but she has to learn how to live in the real world sometime. Let her learn, Sirius."

"But does this learning process include openly cheating on her husband, your BROTHER, with a man who…" Sirius trailed off. Charlie shook his head.

"Sirius, what is it that really bothers you, the fact that Laelyn's cheating on Bill, or the fact that it's with Remus?"

There was a very long pause. Sirius looked at Charlie with a shocked expression on his face. "Don't be ridiculous," he replied finally. "Why would that bother me?"

"Because you used to be in the same place that Laelyn's in now. With Remus. And maybe her being there makes you think that perhaps you and he never had what you thought you did together." Charlie was looking into his eyes, and for the first time in his life Sirius had the urge to look away.

"Why would that matter?"

"Because you still care for him."

Sirius drew a quick breath, shocked at this accusation. "How can you say that? You know perfectly well that I love you, and that I would never…"

Charlie smiled wistfully. "Of course I know that. I never said that you love him more than me. I know that's not true. But you did, at one time in your life, and part of you will always remember it. That part of you is the part that will always love Remus, and the part that objects so strongly to him loving someone else like that." 

Sirius narrowed his eyes at his lover. "How did you manage to figure that out when I hadn't even realized it yet?"

"I'm a very clever and perceptive individual." Charlie's mouth twisted into a small smile, which Sirius tried his hardest to return. 

"Well, be that as it may, I still think the shit's going to hit the fan when your brother gets here."

Charlie was about to reply when their door burst open and Bill strode in, pacing darkly over to a chair and seating himself in it.

"I'm here. What can I do?"

Charlie and Sirius looked at each other helplessly and then Charlie shrugged. "Well, there's really nothing to—"

"Give me something to do, Charlie," Bill hissed through clenched teeth. "Anything. Just keep me busy."

Sirius furrowed his brow. "Well, you could always help whoever's on the door with greeting people…" an almost identical look from both Charlie and Bill told him that he'd said the wrong thing. Then Sirius remembered who was manning the door and almost slapped himself. "Um, maybe you should ask Dumbledore. He'll know what to do. I believe he's in his office."

Bill nodded and headed for the door again. "I'll see you guys later," he muttered darkly before slamming the door behind him. Charlie frowned.

"What was that you were saying about shit hitting the fan?"

*****

Laelyn stumbled into Remus' room and slammed the door behind her. Lupin started, and then got up as he realized who it was. He felt a twinge of anger and sorrow as he looked at the exhausted nymph. Her eyes were sunken and ringed with dark circles, her expression was grim, and she could barely keep herself upright. Remus walked over to her and opened his arms, which she practically fell into. 

"Bad day at the office?" He said, trying to lighten the mood. Laelyn nodded unhappily. 

"The worst kind." She leaned weakly against him and closed her eyes. "I'm so tired…"

"You should sleep, then. Go to bed." Remus furrowed his brow, concerned. 

"I would, but I don't think I can even move another step." She looked up at him plaintively. "You were right… I really wasn't ready for this." He gave her a meaningful look, and she sighed. "Go ahead and say it. I know you're just dying to."

Remus gave her a small smile. "I told you so."

"Yes, you did." Laelyn gasped as Remus picked her up effortlessly and carried her over to the bed. "What are you doing?"

"Putting you to bed. What does it look like?" Laelyn had to laugh at this. 

"You know, I was just kidding… I really could have walked across the room." 

"I know." Remus set her down on the bed and pulled the comforter over top of her. "There. I'm going to get out of here and let you get some rest. I'll wake you up if we need you."

Laelyn smiled and brushed her fingers against his cheek. "You're too good to me."

"I know that, too." He bent down to kiss her forehead, and was taken by surprise when she placed her hands on either side of his head and kissed his lips. "Well," he said when they broke apart. "I'm rather confused now…"

She smiled up at him. "It just… felt right." She yawned, and then laughed sleepily. "Goodnight, Remus."

He brushed a strand of hair away from his face and she closed her eyes. "Goodnight love. See you soon."

*****

"Well well," said Snape sourly as Remus strode into the staff lounge. "What have we here? Back so soon? What, the nymph didn't take as long as you'd thought?"

Remus steadily ignored him and turned to greet the only other inhabitant of the room. "Hello Draco. It's nice to see you." Draco stood up and offered his hand.

"Professor," He said, nodding. "How are you?"

"I'm fine, thank you. And it's Remus, if you don't mind." 

"Aw, how touching," Said Snape disgustedly. "Aren't you just the king of Kodak moments tonight?" Remus sat down with his back to Snape and picked up the daily profit. "So Lupin, aren't you going to tell us what you were doing with the nymph in your room? Or are you too ashamed of her?"

"I don't know what you're talking about," Remus said levelly. Snape scowled. 

"I saw her go into your room half an hour ago, Lupin. Tell me, did she charm you into it?" 

Remus leapt up and flew across the room towards Snape, knocking over his chair and an end table in the process. Before Snape could react, Remus had thrown a punch straight at his nose and had kneed him in the stomach. Snape doubled over for a few second, partially in pain and partially in shock, and then he straightened up and threw a punch into Lupin's stomach. The werewolf was knocked off balance and fell over, only to have Snape kick him in the ribs. For a moment both men were still, and then Lupin glared up at Snape as he began to get to his feet. 

"You never kick a man when he's down, Severus," He said in a quiet but deadly voice. "Especially not this man!" Remus drew his wand as quick as lightening, as did Snape, who had been anticipating the other's actions. They raised their wands and shouted curses almost simultaneously, sparks flying in all directions. Draco leapt up to avoid a curse that had missed Lupin. 

"Hey!" He yelled over the din. "Hey, stop it! BOTH OF YOU JUST STOP IT RIGHT NOW!" The two professors froze and turned to face their former student. "Do you have any idea how ridiculous you two are acting?" He asked in a calm tone. Both Snape and Lupin seemed to consider this. Draco turned to Lupin. "You touch professor Snape again, and I can assure you there will be at least a thousand former Slytherins wanting to have a… word with you." He shot Lupin a warning look. "And trust me, you don't want that. And YOU…" He turned to Snape. "Say one more bad word about Laelyn Thorne and I will personally see to it that you never make that mistake again."

For a moment no one said a word. Lupin stood there looking half sheepish and half as if the full-moon transformation had started early this month. Snape's expression was a cross between shock, rage and astonishment. 

The door to the staff lounge swung open, and in strode Professor Dumbledore. He froze in the doorway as he saw the odd tableau before him. Severus Snape and Remus Lupin were facing each other, wands drawn. Severus had an extra nose on the side of his face (his original one was bleeding profusely all over the carpet), Had a feather growing out of his left ear, and the bottoms of his robes were singed and smoking as if he'd been on fire. As for Remus, He had a thistle growing out of his chest, a length of rope around his neck, and his hair had been turned a putrid shade of green. Standing in front of both of them, arms crossed and foot tapping impatiently, was Draco Malfoy. Dumbledore furrowed his brow, and then something none of the expected happened. The older wizard began to laugh. 

At first it was just quiet laughter, and then he began to let out great guffaws that seemed to shake the very foundations of he castle. This set Draco off. He began to chuckle, not in his traditional sinister way, but out of actual merriment. Pretty soon, the only one who was not laughing was Snape. 

"Upstairs… hospital wing," Dumbledore managed to force out between chuckles once he'd calmed down a bit. "Poppy will see to you… injuries." This started both he and Draco laughing again. Snape and Lupin turned towards the door, glaring at each other as they both tried to go through at once. 

"Maybe I'd better escort them," Draco whispered to Dumbledore, who nodded as Draco followed them out of the room.

"Young wizards," He muttered to himself as he put right the chair and table that Remus had upset. "You can dress them up, but you can't take them anywhere."


	9. Parting of Ways

**A/N: **It's been a long time. A LONG time. But I'm back!!!

This chapter is strange… whatever. At any rate, this is for Lisa, who has waited very patiently for me to update. Here you go!

Love you all,

-Nymphean

**Chapter 9: Making Plans**

"Are we all here now?" Dumbledore asked, looking around the large table in the staff room. Seated around the table were at least fifty wizards and witches, with another fifty or so standing behind them. Professors Snape, McGonagall and Hooch were seated to the right of Dumbledore, with Remus, Laelyn and Hagrid on the other side. Other professors, friends and former Hogwarts students were scattered throughout the room. 

"I think everyone on the list is accounted for," Sirius said, checking the roll of parchment. "No, wait… Where's Harry?"

"A very good question indeed," Professor Dumbledore said, furrowing his brow. "Where IS Mr. Potter?"

"Here I am," said a voice from the doorway. All heads turned to see the Boy Who Lived standing in the doorframe, looking exhausted. "Sorry I'm so late… Hope I didn't hold things up too much."

"Not at all," replied Dumbledore, smiling kindly. "We were just about to start." Harry walked over to where Sirius was sitting and stood behind him. Dumbledore cleared his throat.

"Now, as you all know, we are here for a very serious reason. The Dark Lord has returned, and his servants are stronger and more vengeful than ever before. It is only a matter of time before war breaks out again. Some of you in this room may not remember the first war, others…" Dumbledore paused, "Are not so fortunate. Either way, this war promises to be just as horrific, just as terrible. Which is why we must stop Voldemort before it's too late." There were a number of shudders at the mention of the Dark Lord's name. "In order to do this, we MUST make use of all our resources. The entire magical world must be united against the Dark Lord, or we shall surely fall. That means not only Wizards and Witches, but everyone and anyone else we can find who might be of use. Therefore," Dumbledore rummaged through the stack of parchment in front of him, "I have some requests to make of specific individuals in this crowd. First of all, Hagrid, I need you to negotiate with the giants. I know they wouldn't cooperate before, but perhaps recent circumstances will have changed their outlook." Hagrid nodded.

"Righ', Professor."

"Where is Charlie Weasley?" Dumbledore peered over the tops of his half-moon glasses. Charlie leaned over Sirius' shoulder. 

"Right here, Professor." 

"Ah. Charlie, exactly how tame are your tame dragons?"

Charlie furrowed his brow. "Pretty tame. If you're asking if they're disciplined enough for battle, then yes."

"Good. We may be able to make use of that yet. Bill?" The eldest Weasley boy looked down the table at Dumbledore. "Perhaps you can ask the goblins for any assistance they might be able to offer."

"I can try."

"Excellent. Laelyn," Dumbledore turned to the tiny woman, "I need you to negotiate with the Nymphs."

Laelyn nodded. "I will try, but I can't guarantee anything… they can be rather disagreeable sometimes."

Dumbledore nodded. "I understand, my dear, but the fact remains that we need their help."

"It will be dangerous… I'm not exactly well-liked in that realm. And they are all stronger than I am. They won't necessarily be lenient with me."

Dumbledore frowned pensively. "Well then, we shall send someone with you. But who?"

"I'll go," Remus said quickly. Dumbledore looked at Laelyn for approval, and she nodded.

"I'll go as well, if you need me," added Draco. Dumbledore raised and eyebrow at Laelyn. 

"Draco too?"

She nodded. "Draco too."

"Then it's settled, Laelyn, Draco and Remus will go see the nymphs." Dumbledore sighed. "We have our work cut out for us."

The meeting went on like this for a good two hours, with people being assigned to recruit volunteers and offering whatever contacts they had, until every resource in the room had been exhausted. Finally, they were done, and Dumbledore dismissed them, sending them off on their various missions. Laelyn, Remus and Draco met by the door once the room was basically cleared out. 

"I've got some things I need to see to before we can even enter the Nymphean realm," Laelyn told them quietly. "It should only take me a few hours." Remus smiled slightly, and Draco nodded solemnly. Laelyn heard someone behind her clear their throat, and she turned around, already knowing who it was.

"Can I talk to you for a minute?"

"Of course."

In the hall outside, Bill turned to Laelyn, his face serious and drawn. _He looks old,_ his wife thought to herself, _almost as old as I feel._

"Look," He said quietly, his voice slightly strained. "I'm sorry I acted the way I did last night. I was being childish." 

Laelyn's eyes went wide. _Here I am expecting a reprimand, and he's apologizing! _She shook her head, partially in wonder. "No, don't be. It's not your fault at all. I understand that you were upset, and I don't blame you."

Bill shrugged stiffly. "I'm still upset. But I should have at least given you an answer instead of just walking away. It was rude."

Laelyn's heart ached for the man before her. He was making such an effort to be polite, even after everything she'd done. "Bill, please… don't apologize if you don't mean it."

"I mean it. Okay?"

Laelyn sighed, giving up. "Okay," she whispered, looking up at him. Their eyes met for the first time since she'd been in the hospital. "Bill, wait…" She reached out and touched his arm lightly, her eyes pleading for him to listen. "Please… just hear me out."

Their eyes stayed locked together as Bill took her hands in his and lead her to a bench by the wall. They sat, and Laelyn finally looked away from her husband. 

"I just wanted you to know that, no matter what has happened, I still love you." She bit her lip, tears springing to her eyes. "I still love you and it kills me every time I look at you because I know what I did to you. I won't make excuses, Bill, because you and I both know I could have stopped it whenever I wanted to. But I didn't, and it killed everything we had. And no matter what happens now, I know you'll never love me the same way you did. Not after what I…" She bit back a sob, covering her mouth with her hand. "… I'm just sorry, that's all."

Bill instinctively brought a hand to her face and wiped away the tears that ran down her pale cheeks. "Shh. Crying won't make anything better, you know." Laelyn nodded, forcing back the tears that hadn't fallen. Bill sighed. "You're right you know. I wish you weren't, but you always are. I can't love you like I did before, and I don't think you'll ever feel the same way about me, either. I don't want to lose you from my life, Laelyn, but I can't be what you need me to be anymore." He drew in a large breath and held it, as if trying to gather up the nerve to say something important. "Does he really care about you?"

Laelyn nodded sadly. "He does. At least, he says he does, and I believe him. Remus loves me, Bill, and he's a dear man who's been hurt too many times. I care for him a great deal."

Bill closed his eyes. "I knew. I could see it… when you were sitting there, with him, I could see how deeply you felt for each other." He looked over at his wife, their eyes meeting again. "You have to go. Make sure you stay with him… he'll take care of you."

"I can take care of myself."

"Yes, but you don't have to."

Laelyn's fingers brushed against the side of his cheek. "Be safe." Bill smiled slightly, his expression pained.

"YOU be safe." He pushed her hand away from his face gently. "Go."

"I'm going."

*****

Ravaine Thorne leapt to her feet at the sound of knocking on her door. 

"Simeon, she's here!" The tiny, dark-haired woman bounded across the greatroom and into the front hall, where her husband was already standing, having run down the stairs. The tall man flung open the large wooden door.

"It's been too long," Ravaine said sternly before even looking out of the doorway. "Months."

"Hello Mum." Laelyn smiled down at her mother, who was even shorter than she was. "I'm sorry I've taken so long between visits… I've been very busy." She smiled up at her father. "Hello, Daddy."

Simeon stepped out from behind his wife and bent down to embrace his only child. "Wonderful to see you, darling." He stepped back. "I hear you and Bill separated." Laelyn frowned. 

"Daddy…" She said in a warning tone.

"Just say the word, and he's fired."

"Daddy!" Laelyn's eyes went wide. "Stop it!" Her mother rolled her eyes.

"Well? What's wrong with you? Come in!" Laelyn chuckled and stepped inside the mansion, removing her heavy cape.

"As much as I'd love to chat all day, I am here for a reason," She said as they walked into the greatroom.

"I'm assuming this mission you're on has something to do with the minister's death," Ravaine said calmly. Laelyn nodded. 

"We're trying to stop the next war before it even begins," She replied. "And if we're going to help, we need you to do something for us."

Ravaine's eyes narrowed. "If you're going to ask what I think you're going to ask, you might as well stop right now, because the answer is no."

Laelyn stopped walking and turned to her mother. "Mum… I wouldn't be asking if it wasn't totally necessary."

"It will never be totally necessary, Laelyn!" the older woman looked at her daughter. "I cannot allow it."

"Mother…" Laelyn looked the other woman in the eyes. "I need the pendant. You KNOW it's the only way into the Nymphean realm… we can't cross the veil without it."

"We?" Ravaine shook her head. "Simeon, could you excuse us for a few minutes?" Laelyn's father nodded silently and back out of the room as fast as he could. "Oh, Laelyn, you can't possibly mean what I think you do."

Laelyn shut her eyes. "I just want to ensure that I'm adequately protected."

"You know you cannot bring outsiders, HUMAN outsiders, no less, into the realm! You're not even allowed past the veil yourself!" 

"I have to go! I have to try!"

Ravaine grabbed her daughter's wrists with surprising strength. "LISTEN to me, child!" She yelled. "Have you lost you mind? Where is your head, Laelyn? You CANNOT cross into that realm. You will be killed. I won't allow it!"__

Laelyn looked at her mother, her gray eyes unwavering. "I WILL get past the veil, with or without your help. Albus Dumbledore is a very powerful man, and he will see to it that I am admitted. But with your help, we can save time. Mother," Her look softened, "we can save lives."

Ravaine stood perfectly still throughout her daughter's speech, and continued to do so for several more minutes. "You make a valid point, my child. But is it really worth—"

"My life?" Laelyn closed her eyes momentarily. "Yes. I think so, anyway."

Ravaine sighed. "Sometimes you make me feel so old." She shook her head and reached inside the edge of her blouse, pulling out a long, thin golden chain. "I should NOT be doing this, but… it IS for the greater good, after all."

Laelyn smiled and took the chain from her mother's hand, admiring the fine craftsmanship. The chain itself was a wonder, with links tinier than she had ever seen on any other piece of jewelry in the human realm. But it was the pendant that was the most spectacular. It hung from the fine chain as if it had a life of it's own. The beautiful white stone shone with a million different hues in the light, and the gold fastenings that held the stone in place were intricately worked and skillfully crafted to delicate perfection. Laelyn lifted the chain over her head and let the pendant fall onto her chest, feeling it's power through the thin cloth of her shirt. 

"Thank you," she whispered, touching the pendant lightly. "I won't let you regret it." 

Ravaine rolled her eyes. "I'm regretting it already." And then she encircled her daughter in her arms. "Be careful, Laelyn. You know how dangerous that world can be."

Laelyn nodded. "I know. And I'm ready."


End file.
